Hazmat teams from across Southwest Michigan responded Friday morning to a significant industrial chemical release near the Kalamazoo River, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of approximately 1,200 residents within a half-mile radius of a plastics manufacturing facility on the city’s northwest side and triggering environmental containment protocols to protect the river.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the Allied Composites plant on West Michigan Avenue at approximately 6:20 a.m. after workers reported a ruptured storage tank releasing a cloud of a volatile organic compound. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety established an incident command post and issued a shelter-in-place order for a broader surrounding area while the chemical cloud’s drift pattern was assessed.

Residents in the immediate evacuation zone were directed to a reception center at Kalamazoo Central High School, where the American Red Cross was providing cots, meals, and basic necessities. Several residents arrived showing symptoms including burning eyes and mild respiratory irritation, and at least 18 people received medical evaluation at the site. Two individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions were transported to Bronson Methodist Hospital as a precautionary measure.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy deployed water quality monitoring teams to sample the Kalamazoo River downstream of the facility. Early testing did not indicate that the chemical had reached the river, but containment booms were deployed at two access points as a precaution.

“We’re being very aggressive here because the Kalamazoo River is a resource we cannot allow to be compromised,” said EGLE spokesperson Nick Assendelft. “We’ll have a clearer picture of any environmental impact within the next few hours.”

The plant’s general manager stated in a brief statement that the release was caused by a pressure valve failure in a storage tank containing trichloroethylene and that safety systems had functioned as designed to limit the scope of the release. OSHA inspectors arrived on scene by mid-morning to begin an independent investigation.

Officials said the evacuation order would remain in place until air quality readings returned to safe levels across all monitoring stations. Residents were asked to bring medications and essential documents but were advised not to take animals into the reception center, as a separate animal shelter had been established at the Kalamazoo Humane Society facility nearby.